About the group

The research group for Transplant Oncology is exploring liver transplantation as a treatment option for patients with primary or secondary liver malignancies that currently are treated by palliative care due to lack of surgical possibilities. 

The group has been leading the field of liver transplant for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM), and transplant oncology has become an emerging field in liver transplantation with international traction. The reserch group for transplant oncology is currently running prospective study protocols in liver transplantation in colorectal liver metastasis, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and is also tightly involved in liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumors.

Members of the research group are transplant surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, nuclear medicine specialists, liver surgeons and thorax surgeons and nurses.  The research group also has an established cooperation with academic expertise in health economics.

Current projects/studies

• Contribution to "Consensus guidelines of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA), 2021
• A new study on health-related life quality for colorectal cancer patients who have undergone liver transplantion
• A study on health-economic aspects of liver transplantation compared to standard therapy for liver metastases
• A multicentre study that evaluates a surgery technique RAPID introduced in 2015; In October 2023, an international consensus meeting on the RAPID technique was held in Zurich under the auspices of the International Society for Liver Surgeons annual meeting
• A 3-year project funded by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority on Improved long term survival of patients with colorectal liver metastases by individualized risk assessment for allocation to surgical therapy" (2022-)
• "Elucidating basic molecular mechanisms relevant for treatment of patients liver transplanted for CRLM", in cooperation with Professor Ragnhild Lothe
• Open call grant from The Norwegian Cancer Society (2023-27) – Converting inoperable to curable metastatic cancer on behalf of the respective research groups, project leaders: Anita Sveen and Pål-Dag Line

Cooperation

We have a number of national and international partners.

National

• Gudrun Bjørnelv, The Institute of Health and Society, NTNU
• Eline Aas, The Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo
• Professor Ragnhild Lothe, University of Oslo
• Professor Anita Sveen, University of Oslo

International

• Professor Julia Johansen, Herlev University Hospital, Denmark
• Professor Karen-Lise Spindler, Aarhus University, Denmark
• Professor Krishna Menon, King’s College Hospital, London, UK
• Professor Silvio Nadalin, Univerity of Tübingen, Germany
• Professor Utz Settmacher, Univeristy of Jena, Germany
• Professor Umberto Cillo, University of Padova, Italy
• Professor Roberto Hernandez Alejandro, URMC, Rochester NY, USA
• Associate Professor Gonzalo Sapisochin, UHN Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada

Publications

• Line PD, Dueland S. Transplantation for colorectal liver metastasis. Curr Opin Organ Transplant. 2024 Feb 1;29(1):23-29. doi:10.1097/MOT.0000000000001126.
• Dueland S, Smedman TM, Syversveen T, Grut H, Hagness M, Line PD. Long-Term Survival, Prognostic Factors, and Selection of Patients With Colorectal Cancer for Liver Transplant: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Surg. 2023 Sep1;158(9):e232932. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.2932
• Andersen IM, Reims HM, Grzyb K, Fevang B, Melum E, Aukrust P, Wiencke K, Nordøy I, Line PD, Jørgensen SF. Long-term survival after liver transplantationin patients with common variable immunodeficiency. Liver Transpl. 2023 Aug 1;29(8):894-899. doi: 10.1097/LVT.0000000000000130
• Solheim JM, Dueland S, Line PD, Hagness M. Transplantation for Nonresectable Colorectal Liver Metastases: Long-Term Follow-Up of the First Prospective Pilot Study. Ann Surg. 2023 Aug 1;278(2):239-245. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005703.
• Menon K, Vijayashanker A, Murphy J, Line PD, Isaac J, Adair A, Prasad R, Thorburn D; NHS Blood and Transplant Liver Transplantation for Colorectal Liver Metastases Fixed Term Working Group. Liver transplantation for isolated unresectable colorectal liver metastases - Protocol for a service evaluation in the United Kingdom - UKCoMET study. HPB (Oxford). 2023 Jun;25(6):684-692. doi:10.1016/j.hpb.2023.02.011.
• Eshmuminov D, Studer DJ, Lopez Lopez V, Schneider MA, Lerut J, Lo M, Sher L, Musholt TJ, Lozan O, Bouzakri N, Sposito C, Miceli R, Barat S, Morris D, Oehler H, Schreckenbach T, Husen P, Rosen CB, Gores GJ, Masui T, Cheung TT, Kim-Fuchs C, Perren A, Dutkowski P, Petrowsky H, Thiis-Evensen E, Line PD, Grat M, Parelli S, Falconi M, Tanno L, Robles-Campos R, Mazzaferro V, Clavien PA, Lehmann K. Controversy Over Liver Transplantation or Resection for Neuroendocrine Liver Metastasis: Tumor Biology Cuts the Deal. Ann Surg. 2023 May 1;277(5):e1063-e1071. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005663
• Settmacher U, Ali-Deeb A, Coubeau L, Cillo U, Line PD, Guba M, Nadalin S, Rauchfuß F, Königsrainer A. Auxilliary Liver Transplantation According to the RAPID Procedure in Noncirrhotic Patients: Technical Aspects and Early Outcomes. Ann Surg. 2023 Feb 1;277(2):305-312. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005726.